I stopped in a Dunkin Donuts to investigate the menu when I heard something groggy and unintelligible coming from a man as he moved brusquely past me, pushing me as he went. No eye contact, no apology, seemingly no awareness of his forceful interaction with me. Then I understood what he had said to me: “move.” My heart started racing as my fiery nature came into form, and I felt the heat on my face and body rise. I had to muster up the ability to stay “calm” until it passed because I was trying to stay positive, even though I was mad at this person who was also really a reflection to me of a part of humanity that is selfish, diminishing the positivity of the whole. I got in line behind a woman with two children who were exclaiming how hungry they were, as she apologized for not feeding them before they left. I approached the counter where the cashier was lamenting about her stolen cell phone from a bathroom, and I empathized with her loss and frustration. As I left the store and found a seat, I realized my anger had subsided, and the plight of others had softened my heart and mind. I even tried to envision the situation of the man who angered me, who may have been in a hurry due to a lot of stress. I was experiencing how my liberation from my anger was bound to others. By empathizing with others’ experiences in the airport, I was connecting to them, and I was able to remove my focus from my self-geared, subjective experience and direct it towards a more objective whole. As I was mad about my plight, someone else was experiencing anger or frustration about their plight. We are not different; we just have different experiences that lead us to the same states. Thus, we can have positive experiences that can lead us to the same positive states thereby shifting the whole towards liberation. Compassion for others will bring compassion for oneself. Thus, we are all bound together as we move towards liberation. Gandhi said, “The yogi is not one who sits down to practice breathing exercises. He is one who looks upon all with an equal eye, sees all creatures in himself. Such a one obtains moksha.” This is what enables me to see that I am like the people in the airport line. I am like the people in the coffee shop. I am all of them and they are one of me. So, the next time I suffer from feeling angry, sad, frustrated, or confused, I can soften my heart, understand that this is the common human condition, and move towards my positive evolution and liberation, which is not separate from the whole. Knowing that I am not alone in this journey is liberating in itself.
Barb Gibson, E-RYT 500, has been studying yoga for 21 years and teaching for 13 years most recently in the Viniyoga lineage. She is currently a yoga therapist in training through the American Viniyoga Institute and specializes in musculoskeletal and emotional therapeutic work in private and small group settings incorporating her knowledge of asana, pranayama, meditation, chanting, philosophy, and contemplative practices to specialize practices for individual needs and goals. She can be reached at barbara_gbsn@yahoo.com
ISSUE # 11
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